Easy opening can



NOV. 28, 1939. P, E, PEARS'ON 2,181,339

EASY- OPENING CAN Filed Aug. 28, 1937 Patented Nom-28, 1939 UNITED STATES EASY OPENING CAN Paul E.' Pearson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Con-'1' tinental Can Company, Inc., New YorkN. Y., a corporation of New York Application Aumt 2s, weasel-iai No. 161.507

3 claims. (ci. zzo-54) The invention relates generally to the tear strip cans wherein are provided weakened tear strips- It is customary in this type of can to provide a key having a shank slotted to receive tlie extended tongue of a tear strip so as to afford a Iirm grip on said tongue and assure completion of the winding and tearing of the stripwithout danger of the key vslipping in the .roll of torn strip stock. For this reason it is necessary that the tongue extensions be made quite long. -In the blanking out of the can bodies a strip of metal must be cut away at the blank end at each side of the tear strip portion in order to form the tongue extension, and it will be obvious that this waste of metal will be increased or diminished accordingly as the length of tongue extension is increased or diminished. The invention seeks to provide a novel form. of tear strip can in which a tongue extension of minimum length may be employed.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel' form of tear strip can structure in which the tongue extension is short in length and equipped with a key lug receiving recess or aperture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of tear strip can structure of the solder bonded seam type in which the tongue extension is equipped with means for damming solder iiow so as to assure against solder bonding of the free end of said extension to the can body. Another object of the invention is to provide a novel key s-tructure including a lug extension engageable in the tongue extension aperture or recess. With the above and other objects in View tha -will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description, 'theap- Apended claims, and the several views. illustrated can embodyon the lined-4 on Figure 3.

Figure' is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 on Figure 3.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are detail vertical sections taken respectively on 'the lines 6 6, 1-1 and 8'-8 on Figure 3. 5

lFigure 9 is a side elevation oi' the shank portion of the key. A

Figure 10 is a detail cross-section taken throu'ghther` lug bearing portion of the key shank. f 10 Figure 11 isa detail perspective view of the body blank edge portion in which the tongue extension is-formed.

In the drawing I have illustrated the invention embodied in a can comprising a. cylindrical 15 Abody 5, formed in the usual manner by shaping a rectangular blank Vabout a form and securing its ends in a side "seam 6, and end closures or caps 1 applied in the 'conventional manner.

A tear strip 8 extendsaround the body and is 20' formed by dening score lines or weakened portions 9. One edge of the blank of which the body is formed is bent back upon itself 4 at each side of the strip 8 as at l0, but at the position of the strip this edge is left extended to form. a 25 key receiving tongue extension Il (see Fig. 11). It will be observed, by reference to Figs. 3 and 11 that the length of the tongue l l is substantially the same as that of the bent seam portions I0 so that in the blank the edge which provides the 30 tongue constitutes a continuous or substantially lcontinuous line, thus eliminating all wasting or cutting away of body stock. The tongue Il preferably is provided with a l key receiving aperture or recess l2, and between 55 the aperture and the line of the seam 6 the'tongue is equipped with a dam lug i3 which extends across a major portion of said tongue as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 8. A tongue accommodating depression IB is formed in the can'body and this 40 may be intentionally shaped during the formation of the can body or formed incidentally bythe mere pressing down of the dam-lug-equipped tongue to the position indicated in Fig. 4.

As is well known, can side seams are 'solder 45 bonded as indicated at l5, in Figs. 4 and 5. This solder commonly is lwiped-.onto the lseam by a soldering roll rotatable about an axis disposed /in parallelism with that of the can bodies, and

the molten bonding material iiows by capillary 50 attraction into the interstices of the' seam.

Obviously, it would be undesirable to have the solder iiow under the tongue extension ilV and cause it to become attached to the'can body in the depression I4.. Permanent freedom of the 5s dam lug I3 which extends across beneath the tongue II as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and eiectually dams the capillary ow of solder toward the free end of said tongue as indicated at I6 in Fig. 4.

` A tear strip winding key is 'provided as shown at I'I in Fig. 2. This key includes a flattened head portion I8 preferably apertured to facilitate temporary attachment thereof to the can top by a drop of solder as indicated at I9. The shank 20 of the key is pinched as at 2I to provide a lug extension 22 adapted to engage in the tongue aperture` I2. By reason of the provision of the lug 22 and the receiving aperture I2, a tongue extension II of minimum length can be employed Without Vsacrificing eiiiciency of the key and tongue winding grip engagement, and slippage between these parts during winding of the tear ,strip is avoided. It will be noted also that the rib or lug I3 spaces the tongue extension in the depression I4 so as to facilitate insertion of the key lug 22 into the aperture I2 of said exension.

In opening the improved can, the key I'I is removed from its temporary attachment at I9 ron the can top and the lug 22 thereof is inserted in the tongue aperture I2 with the key head pro-` jecting above the can top. By now turning the key1 the tear strip 8 will be wound about the key shank and the upper end of the can will be separated from the lower portion thereof.

In the foregoing description, I have disclosed a novel tear strip can in which body stock waste is eliminated without sacrificing eiliciency in key and tear strip cooperation, in which soldering down of the key receiving tongue is avoided, and in which application of the key is greatly facilitated.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal containerF comprising a body portion having its side edges joined and solderbonded, said body having score lines encircling the same for forming a tearing strip, said body wall being extended in the region of the tearing strip for providing a tongue to which a key may be attached for rupturing the metal along the score lines, said tongue being integral with the outer lapping section of the side seam and said body wall adjacent the side seam being depressed to receive said tonguesaid tongue in the region adjacent the side seam having an inwardly prog,` `jecting rib forming a solder dam to prevent the soldering of the tongue to the body wall, and.

said tongue having an opening therethrough adjacent the rib to permit the attachment of the Winding key thereto.

2. A sheet metal container comprising a body having the edge portions thereof shaped to provide interlocking hooks solder-bonded together to form a side seam, said body being provided with score lines forming a tearing strip, 'the inner hook in said side seam being continuous from the upper end of the seam to the lower end thereof and the outer hook terminating in the region of the tearing strip so that the tearing strip may have an integral tongue projecting therefrom, the body-wall adjacent the side fseam being depressed to form a pocket for said tearing tongue, said tearing tongue having an inwardly extending rib lying along the side seam close to the edge of the inner hook for forming a dam to prevent solder from passing beneath the tongue and securing the same to the body wall, said tongue having an opening therethrough adjacent the rib for attachment of the winding key to the tearing strip. t

3. A sheet metal container comprising a body portion having its side edges joined and solderbond'ed, said body having score lines encircling the same for forming a tearing strip, said body wall being extended in the region of the tearing strip for providing a tongue to which a key may be attached for rupturing the metal along the score lines, said tongue being integral with the outer lapping section of the side seam and said body Wall adjacent the side seam being depressed to receive said tongue, said tongue in the region adjacent the side seam having an inwardly projecting rib forming a solder dam to prevent the soldering of the tongue to the body wall.

PAUL E. PEARSON. 

